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The Challenge: A Global Jigsaw Puzzle of Technical Communication

Komatsu, a world leader in heavy equipment and a pivotal player in the mining industry, operates with a vast and intricate global network. Ensuring absolute clarity and consistency in its technical documentation is paramount, directly impacting operational safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction worldwide. However, with documentation teams spread across various offices and encompassing diverse job roles – from Curriculum Designers, Technical Information Engineers, Instructional Designers, Field Experts, Parts Manual Editors, Curriculum Developers, Curriculum Trainers, Translators, and Engineers – maintaining a unified voice and unambiguous standard presented a significant challenge. This was particularly acute for documentation pertaining to complex mining machinery and operational procedures.

Inconsistencies could lead to:

• Misinterpretations of critical maintenance or operational procedures, especially for high-value mining assets.
• Increased rework and delays in document creation and updates.
• Higher translation costs due to varied source text.
• Challenges in onboarding new team members to consistent communication standards.
• Potential safety risks in the field or during equipment operation, with severe consequences in mining environments.

Komatsu sought a solution that could not only standardise their technical language but also cater to the specific needs and daily tasks of their varied documentation professionals across different regions, with a strong emphasis on their vital mining operations.

The Solution: Targeted STE Training with Shufrans TechDocs

Shufrans TechDocs partnered with Komatsu to implement a comprehensive ASD-STE100 (Issues 7 to 9) training programme tailored to their unique global requirements. Recognising that a one-size-fits-all approach would not suffice, Shufrans TechDocs delivered focused, personalised training sessions to various Komatsu offices, addressing the specific challenges faced by each job role:

• Trainers, Curriculum Designers & Developers, Instructional Designers, Curriculum Trainers: Learnt to craft training materials and curricula that were consistently clear, concise, and easy for global learners to understand, accelerating knowledge transfer and reducing ambiguity in instructional content for both heavy equipment and specialised mining curricula.
• Technical Publications Supervisors, Technical Information Engineers & Parts Manual Editors: Gained mastery in applying STE rules to complex technical specifications, operational manuals, and parts catalogues, ensuring precision for critical procedures and accurate identification of components, vital for the high demands of mining equipment.

• Engineers & Field Experts: Acquired skills to contribute clear, unambiguous input for documentation and communicate technical information precisely, bridging the gap between practical knowledge and written instructions, directly enhancing safety and operational efficiency on site, especially for complex machinery used in mining.
• Translators: Benefited from working with STE-compliant source text, leading to faster, more accurate, and more cost-effective translations due to the reduced ambiguity and increased consistency of the original English.

The training emphasised practical application, utilising Komatsu’s own documentation examples where relevant, to ensure immediate and tangible skill transfer. Shufrans TechDocs’ expertise in ASD-STE100 (Issue 9) ensured that Komatsu’s teams were equipped with the latest standards and best practices.

Testimonials

Elaine Emerson, Illustrated Parts Catalog Editor II at Komatsu, shared: “Very professional, easy to understand. Rule ‘Do not use different technical names for the same thing’ is my favorite because I find this happens frequently in our Parts books and it is frustrating. I thought the quizzes and exercises were helpful. I thought the workshop was managed very well and it exceeded my expectations. I was not looking forward to this training class, but I now hope I have the privilege to attend another one.”

Dennis Lane, Technical Editor at Komatsu Mining Corp, commented: “The training was excellent. The trainer was knowledgeable and easy to understand, ensuring all students grasped each concept and participated actively. The examples used in training were from our own documentation. As a former trainer myself, I recognise the exemplary dedication and effort that went into preparing and presenting this programme, especially to an international audience. The workshop held learners responsible for applying new knowledge, with reviews presented in a non-judgemental and supportive manner. This was a well-designed and well-executed programme.”

The Results: Unifying Communication, Enhancing Operations

By embracing ASD-STE100 training with Shufrans TechDocs, Komatsu achieved significant improvements across its technical communication landscape, with notable impacts on its documentation:

• Enhanced Clarity and Reduced Risk: A consistent and unambiguous language standard drastically minimised misinterpretations in vital documentation, directly contributing to improved safety protocols and reduced operational errors, which are paramount in the high-risk mining sector.
• Boosted Efficiency and Consistency: Teams could produce documentation more efficiently, with less rework, and a higher degree of consistency across all content, regardless of the author’s location or specific role.
• Optimised Global Reach: Improved source text consistency facilitated more accurate and cost-effective translation, ensuring Komatsu’s global communications were understood without compromise.
• Accelerated People Development: The tailored training programmes significantly upskilled documentation professionals across all roles, fostering a culture of precision writing and contributing to their long-term professional growth and career pathways within Komatsu’s global operations, including the specialised demands of mining.
• Stronger Internal Collaboration: A shared understanding and application of STE fostered better communication and collaboration among geographically dispersed teams, benefiting cross-functional projects involving mining equipment development and support.

Komatsu’s investment in STE training with Shufrans TechDocs has transformed their technical documentation from a potential source of ambiguity into a strategic asset, reinforcing their commitment to excellence in safety, efficiency, and global operations. This success story underscores the power of targeted professional development in driving critical operational improvements.

If your organisation faces similar challenges in global technical communication, discover how Shufrans TechDocs can help. Learn more about our ASD-STE100 training and consulting services:

🗓️ View our training calendar.

www.shufrans.com

*Course fee includes exercises, learning aids, certificate of completion, and 120-day post-training support.

⁺⁺A group discount of up to €500 is applicable when two or more participants sign up for the same event. Send us your questions: enquiry@shufrans-techdocs.com.

🏷️ A €210 fee discount is applicable when you also sign up for 🆕 Certified STE Masterclass | Europe Online.

What’s Included & Incentives

• Inclusions: Course materials, practical exercises, learning aids, a certificate of completion, and 120 days of post-training support.

• Group Discount: Save up to €500 when two or more colleagues register for the same cohort.

• Bundle Offer: Receive a €210 fee discount when you also register for the upcoming Certified STE Masterclass | Europe Online.

• Enquiries: Have questions or need a custom corporate booking? Send us a message at enquiry@asd-ste100.net.

Summary of Simplified Technical English (STE)

Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100) is the internationally recognised controlled language specification designed to make complex technical manuals clear, unambiguous, and easily understood by a global audience. In today’s enterprise landscape—where automated translation engines and AI-assisted workflows rapidly scale content output but also multiply linguistic errors—upstream standardisation is more critical than ever.

By eliminating ambiguity and enforcing strict syntactic control, STE protects your documentation pipeline, acts as a reliable grounding layer for automated systems, drastically reduces translation costs, and prevents costly operational risks. While often a formal requirement for aerospace and defence maintenance documentation, STE is readily adapted across all high-compliance technical industries. Led by Shumin Chen, this foundational training teaches participants how to correctly and effectively apply STE rules in practice, navigate common writing pitfalls, and correct the frequent misinterpretations of core guidelines that undermine technical quality.

Why select a Simplified Technical English training with Shufrans?

Shumin is a very knowledgeable STE instructor. She kept the course interesting and was always open to our questions/feedback. The introduction to Simplified Technical English has been greatly beneficial for my understanding of what the specification entails. In terms of preferred rules, I cannot pinpoint a specific set of STE writing rules as they are all valuable. This was my favorite part of the course as I enjoyed analyzing how other writers went about using STE to best apply it to their line of work.

The rewriting workshop in Simplified Technical English training Europe was my favorite part of the course as I enjoyed analyzing how other writers went about using STE to best apply it to their line of work. I would highly recommend this course to all technical writers. Shumin Chen takes the time to clearly explain the rules of STE. A very attentive instructor, indeed. If given the chance, I would really enjoy working along side her. Michael Palmieri, Documentation Specialist, AON3D | The Advanced Additive Manufacturing Platform

STE Course Outline*

We’re committed to providing the highest quality learning experience in all our online workshops. Therefore, we’ve made the decision to cap all our online workshop session sizes at just five participants, starting 5 May 2025.

This intimate virtual environment fosters richer discussions, more personalised feedback, and a greater overall impact on your understanding and application of key technical communication standards like Simplified Technical English. Learn better, communicate better, across all our courses. This two-day Online STE Workshop includes interactive training, exercises, and a 120-day post-training consultation.

Day 1: Classroom Training & Foundations

• Practical overview of Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100) and why strict structural control is essential for modern technical documentation.

• How STE ensures absolute clarity for both native and non-native speakers across global audiences.

• The direct risk-mitigation and cost benefits of adopting the STE international writing standard in high-compliance environments.

• Core writing rules and how to apply them systematically in daily practice.

• Mastering the general vocabulary lexicon: Approved and unapproved words, and the strict structural rationale behind them.

• Eliminating ambiguous phrasing, noun clusters, and syntactic drift that undermine technical accuracy.

• Establishing a rigorous baseline for clear, human-readable documentation that withstands automated review and translation workflows.

Day 2: Practical Application, Review, & Exercises

• How to deal with industry-specific terminology and integrate specialised nouns safely into controlled writing.

• How to apply STE across various documentation types (such as maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and operating procedures).

• How to implement STE frameworks with minimal disruption to ongoing production and existing documentation archives.

• Practical hands-on workshop session for applying strict STE rules directly to your own company documents.

• Systematic review, live editorial breakdown, and discussion of participants’ own documents to reinforce learning.

• Collaborative review of common error patterns and alternative phrasing solutions.

• Final classroom presentation of edited documents to establish a repeatable, high-integrity quality standard for your team, directly reducing the cost of creating and maintaining technical publications.

*Shufrans also offers customised ASD-STE100 training solutions tailored to meet your specific requirements. These courses are normally provided at the customer’s premises.

Who should attend this Simplified Technical English training?

• Executive Leadership & Strategy: CIOs, CTOs, COOs, and Compliance Managers

• Documentation & Editorial Leads: Documentation Managers, Editors, and Technical Writers

• Engineering & Technical Specialists: Engineering Managers, SMEs, Software Research Engineers, Service Engineers, and AI Content Engineers

• Operations & Support Teams: Maintenance, ILS, Operation, Product, and Project Managers, plus Customer Support

• Training & Content Creation: Instructional Designers, Translators, Translation Managers, and Technical Illustrators.

What technical writing outcomes to expect?

Our interactive training, exercises, and workshop will equip participants to standardise content and achieve measurable operational outcomes:

• Enhanced Communication & Efficiency: Authors will gain the structural discipline required to create clear, consistent, and easily translatable technical documentation—providing a reliable grounding layer for automated translation engines and AI-assisted workflows, facilitating seamless global communication, and streamlining the authoring process.

• Improved Operational Safety & Reduced Downtime: By mastering STE principles, teams will produce unambiguous documentation that eliminates procedural misunderstandings, directly safeguarding operational safety and driving a measurable reduction in costly AOG/downtime and human error.

• Optimised Lifecycle Support & Cost Reduction: Standardisation enables modular writing, semantic consistency, and efficient content reuse. This optimises product lifecycle support, future-proofs documentation against shifting publishing stacks, and significantly reduces the overall cost of creating and maintaining technical publications.

What customers are saying..

The introduction in Simplified Technical English training Europe was a good and concise way to familiarize yourself with STE basics. I’ve a background in plain language, so for example the rule on noun clusters makes perfect sense. I’m all about simplification, so substituting verbs like “eliminate” for verbs like “remove” or “stop” will be my new quest. The STE exercises were helpful in getting to grasp with STE during the training workshop. I’d very likely recommend this course to anyone planning to introduce STE as it’s got a great practical angle. Jenni Virtaluoto, PhD, Senior Lecturer, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

ASD-STE100 Trainer’s qualifications

Ms. Shumin Chen, principal trainer and consultant at Shufrans TechDocs, received her professional on-the-job training in the field of Simplified Technical English under the tutelage of Dr Frans Wijma, a renowned linguist and documentation expert. Together as an experienced global team, they combined their expertise to benefit enterprise clients worldwide, having delivered training and consultancy services to over 200 companies to date. Shufrans TechDocs stands as an industry leader with unmatched depth of experience in providing certified Simplified Technical English training in Europe.

Shumin has guided numerous organisations through their complex documentation and standardisation needs. Although STE was originally developed for the aerospace industry—specifically for aircraft maintenance manuals—she has successfully demonstrated that its foundational principles provide an essential governance framework across a wide range of technical sectors, including machinery, IT, automotive, energy, and medical equipment.

As enterprises increasingly deploy automated translation engines, LLMs, and AI-assisted content workflows, Shumin’s approach proves that strict linguistic control is more vital than ever. Because structural clarity and syntactic discipline are universally required, few, if any, changes to the specification are necessary to adapt STE as a reliable upstream grounding layer for modern digital and AI-driven publishing stacks.

*Course fee includes exercises, learning aids, certificate of completion, and 120-day post-training support.

⁺⁺A group discount of up to €500 is applicable when two or more participants sign up for the same event. Send us your questions: enquiry@asd-ste100.net.

🏷️ A €210 fee discount is applicable when you also sign up for 🆕 Certified STE Masterclass | US Canada Online.

Summary

Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100) is a controlled language designed to make technical manuals clear, unambiguous, and easily understood by a global audience. Mandated or recommended by key military and commercial specifications, STE reduces translation costs and serves as a vital upstream grounding layer for automated translation engines and AI workflows.

Led by Ms. Shumin Chen (Shufrans TechDocs), this training guides participants through the correct and effective practical application of STE, addressing common writing errors and the frequent misapplication of core rules across all technical industries.

For enquiries and registration: enquiry@asd-ste100.net

Course outline*

We are committed to providing the highest quality learning experience across all our online workshops. To ensure richer discussions, deeper document reviews, and maximum individual impact, all online workshop sessions are strictly capped at just five participants.

This intimate virtual environment fosters precise feedback and mastery of key technical communication standards like Simplified Technical English. Each three-day online workshop includes interactive training, hands-on exercises, and a dedicated 120-day post-training consultation period.

Day 1: Classroom Training & Foundations

• Practical overview of Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100)

• How STE ensures absolute clarity for both native and non-native speakers across global networks

• Strategic risk-mitigation and cost benefits of adopting the STE standard

• Core writing rules and systematic daily application

Day 2: Application & Vocabulary

• Navigating the general vocabulary dictionary

• Approved versus unapproved words and the structural rationale behind them

• Handling industry-specific terminology and specialised nouns safely

• Applying STE across diverse manuals, service bulletins, and operating procedures

Day 3: Review, Implementation, & Exercises

• Hands-on workshop session applying strict rules to your own corporate materials

• Live editorial review, breakdown, and discussion of participant texts

• Implementing frameworks with minimal disruption to ongoing production and legacy documentation

• Classroom presentation and restructuring of participant documents to reinforce mastery

*Shufrans also offers customised ASD-STE100 training solutions tailored to meet your specific corporate requirements, normally delivered on-site at customer premises.

What customers are saying..

I was looking forward to the training and was not disappointed. I think that the training was valuable and would recommend that my colleagues take the training either on line or in person. Being able to send a sample document and then working on it together using my new STE skills was very helpful and valuable. Shumin was extremely knowledgeable and gave many practical examples. I hope to be able to make use of the support period post-training. Deborah Tonkin, Technical Information Engineer, Komatsu

Why select a Simplified Technical English training with Shufrans?

The introduction to ASD-STE100 was good and informative for someone like me with zero knowledge of the STE standard before. Rule 6.3 in STE writing summarizes the best of what I can take with me. There was quite a lot from the STE exercises to consume regarding grammar. Nevertheless, the worksheets were very good and helpful. I gained quite a lot of knowledge from them and they were the best part of this training workshop. Shumin was very professional and sharp as a razor. The best takeaway for me from her workshop is to give more thought to how I build my sentences rather than focussing on specific ‘allowed’ or ‘approved’ words. Jeppe Friis, Technical Inspector, Maersk Drilling Maintenance Support

Who should attend this ASD-STE100 workshop?

What ASD-STE100 workshop training outcomes to expect?

Our interactive training, exercises and workshop, will teach participants to standardise content to:

• Enhanced Communication & Efficiency: Authors will gain the skills to create clear, consistent, and easily translatable technical documentation, facilitating effective communication with a global audience and streamlining the writing process.
• Improved Operational Safety & Reduced Downtime: By mastering STE principles, teams will produce unambiguous documentation that minimises misunderstandings, directly contributing to improved operational safety and a reduction in costly AOG/downtime.
• Optimised Lifecycle Support & Cost Reduction: Training will enable modular writing and content reuse, leading to maximised consistency, optimised product lifecycle support, and a significant reduction in the overall cost of creating and maintaining technical publications.

ASD-STE100 Trainer’s qualifications

Ms. Shumin Chen, principal trainer & consultant at Shufrans TechDocs received her professional on-the-job training in the field of STE under the tutelage of Dr Frans Wijma, a linguist and documentation expert. Together as an experienced global team, they provided their combined knowledge and dedication to benefit customers worldwide. To date, they have provided training and consultancy services to over 180 companies. Shufrans TechDocs is the only company with such vast experience in providing certified STE training.

Shumin has supported various companies with their STE and other documentation needs, based on standards where possible. Although STE was developed for the aerospace industry, more specifically for aircraft maintenance documentation, Shumin found that it made a lot of sense to apply the same principles to other industries and types of documents as well. Few -if any- changes to the specification are necessary to adapt STE to industries ranging from machinery to IT, automotive to medical equipment.

Course fee includes exercises, learning aids, certificate of completion, and 120 days of post-training support.

Group discounts of up to €500 are available when two or more participants register from the same company. An additional €210 fee discount applies when your team also registers for the 🆕 Certified STE Masterclass | Asia Pacific (APAC) Online..

For enquiries and registration, contact us at enquiry@asd-ste100.net.

Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100) is a controlled language designed to make technical manuals clear, unambiguous, and easily understood by a global audience. Mandated or recommended by specifications like MIL-STD-3048, S1000D, and ATA iSpec 2200, STE makes translations cheaper and more accurate while ensuring structural completeness.

In today’s digital landscape, STE also serves as the essential upstream grounding layer for automated translation engines, LLMs, and RAG pipelines, preventing syntactic drift and hallucinations. While a formal requirement for aerospace and defence maintenance, its rigorous principles are easily adapted across all technical industries. Led by Shumin Chen, this training teaches participants how to apply STE rules correctly in practice, avoid common writing pitfalls, and eliminate hidden operational risks.

The ASD-STE100 workshop conducted by Shufrans TechDocs made for a very good introduction to STE for new as well as intermediate users of the STE writing standard. The presentation on rules was very clear and I liked the emphasis on the fact that the rules are weighted and how one can use them flexibly. The exercises completed during this training were good and provided real world examples in technical writing in a practical way. I’d very likely recommend this course to someone else. This course is a must for any new technical writers or technical publication employees. Neil Winson, Technical Writer, Airbus Helicopters

MEA Online STE Workshop Course Outline*

We are committed to providing the highest quality learning experience across all our online workshops. To ensure richer discussions, deeper document reviews, and maximum individual impact, all online workshop sessions are strictly capped at just five participants.

This intimate virtual environment fosters precise feedback and mastery of key technical communication standards like Simplified Technical English. Each two-day online workshop includes interactive training, hands-on exercises, and a dedicated 120-day post-training consultation period.

Day 1: Classroom Training & Foundations

• Practical overview of Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100)

• How STE ensures absolute clarity for both native and non-native speakers across global networks

• Strategic risk-mitigation and cost benefits of adopting the STE standard

• Core writing rules and systematic daily application

• Navigating the general vocabulary dictionary

• Approved versus unapproved words and the structural rationale behind them

Day 2: Practical Application, Review, & Exercises

• Handling industry-specific terminology and specialised nouns safely

• Applying STE across diverse manuals, service bulletins, and operating procedures

• Implementing frameworks with minimal disruption to ongoing production and legacy documentation

• Hands-on workshop session applying strict rules to your own corporate materials

• Live editorial review, breakdown, and discussion of participant texts

• Classroom presentation and restructuring of participant documents to reinforce mastery

*Shufrans also offers customised ASD-STE100 training solutions tailored to meet your specific corporate requirements, normally delivered on-site at customer premises.

Who should attend this Simplified Technical English training?

• Executive & Strategy: CIOs, CTOs, COOs, Compliance and Quality Managers

• Documentation & Editorial: Documentation Managers, Editors, Technical Writers, Technical Illustrators, and Graphics Specialists

• Engineering & Technical: Engineering Managers, SMEs, Software Research Engineers, and Engineers who create documentation

• Operations & Support: Maintenance, ILS, Operation, Product, and Project Managers, plus Customer Support Managers

• Training, Translation & Content: Translation Managers, Translators.

What training outcomes to expect?

Enhanced Communication & Efficiency: Authors will gain the structural discipline required to create clear, consistent, and easily translatable technical documentation—providing a reliable grounding layer for automated translation engines and AI-assisted workflows, facilitating seamless global communication, and streamlining the authoring process.

Improved Operational Safety & Reduced Downtime: By mastering STE principles, teams will produce unambiguous documentation that eliminates procedural misunderstandings, directly safeguarding operational safety and driving a measurable reduction in costly AOG/downtime and human error.

Optimised Lifecycle Support & Cost Reduction: Standardisation enables modular writing, semantic consistency, and efficient content reuse. This optimises product lifecycle support, future-proofs documentation against shifting publishing stacks, and significantly reduces the overall cost of creating and maintaining technical publications.

ASD-STE100 Trainer’s qualifications

Ms. Shumin Chen, Principal Trainer and Consultant at Shufrans TechDocs, received her professional on-the-job training in Simplified Technical English under the tutelage of Dr Frans Wijma, a renowned linguist and documentation expert. Together as an experienced global team, they have delivered training and consultancy services to over 200 companies worldwide. Shufrans TechDocs stands as an industry leader with unmatched depth of experience in providing certified STE training.

Shumin has guided numerous organisations through their complex documentation and standardisation needs. Although STE was originally developed for the aerospace industry—specifically for aircraft maintenance manuals—she has successfully demonstrated that its foundational principles provide an essential governance framework across a wide range of technical sectors, including machinery, IT, automotive, energy, and medical equipment.

As enterprises increasingly deploy automated translation engines, LLMs, and AI-assisted workflows, strict linguistic control is more vital than ever. Because structural clarity and syntactic discipline are universally required, few, if any, changes to the specification are necessary to adapt STE as a reliable upstream grounding layer for modern digital and AI-driven publishing stacks.